Programming the Yaesu FTM-500 radio Begins with getting data from the radio to give the YPS-M500 Programmer necessary details about the radio. What is retrieved in this process are modification status, world wide version (American, European, South American, etc), firmware version, and other information about the radio that can only be retrieved from it. Memory channel details are not important to this process although they are a part of it and will appear in the programmer if you have loaded memory channels into the radio.

This may be your first experience working with the SD card and the data transfer process on a radio. The process is very similar to that used by other Yaesu radios that use an SD card for data transfer.  These steps will help you through that process.

Using the SD card for programming is GREAT, especially after the radio is mounted in your vehicle. Just think, no removing the radio to bring to the computer to program and no taking your laptop to the radio for programming via a cable connection. You need only carry the SD card from the computer to the radio.  (Don't drop it along the way!)

With the radio off, insert the SD card into the slot on the side of the head of the radio.

• There is only one way the SD Card will fit.
• Do NOT force it.
• Working with your left hand and presuming that you are looking at the front of the radio, the teeth of the card will be away from you.
• Gently press the card into the slot until it clicks and stays firmly in place.
• The card will not work if it is not seated properly in the slot.

With the radio on, press hold for 1 second the [KNOB] at the upper right of the face of the radio to access the menu.

Hold the knob long enough to access the full menu. A short press will access the Quick Menu. The option you seek for programming is not found there.

• Rotate the [KNOB] to Menu Item 107 BACKUP.
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select BACKUP.

With WRITE TO SD highlighted as shown, press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select.

You are in control. No fear of losing information. 

There are several more questions to answer yet.

The ALL option will be highlighted on the SD Card / Write to SD menu.

Press the [KNOB] to select this option. 
This selection cannot be made via the touchscreen.

An All screen appears. Cancel will be highlighted.

Turn the [KNOB] to "OK" or touch the "OK" on the screen to select. Press the [KNOB] or touch the "OK" again to begin the transfer. Either will work. 

The details of the radio will be transferred to the SD card.

Saving is displayed on the screen during the transfer.

The process can take what seems to be a long time to complete. Be patient, if no other message appears, the process is going properly.

Do NOT turn off the radio during the process. Again, be patient and give the radio the time it needs.

If the Saving message does not appear, you did not engage the process properly.

COMPLETED appears when the radio finishes writing the data to the card.

Remove the SD card from the slot for use in the computer.

It may not seem normal; but you press the SD card to release it from the slot.

The card will eject; and be ready to remove.

Tweezers work well to get a hold of the card to remove it from the slot.

At all times Be sure you do NOT touch to gold contacts. This could damage the card to the point it cannot Be used by the radio or the computer.

Load the SD card into a reader for your computer to use.

A screen may open asking what you want to do with the device. This is just a normal reaction of the computer.

Click the option to close this screen. There is nothing that you need from it.

Start the YPS-M500 Programmer

The program opens to the last file you saved or to a default file (FTM500 Untitled).

If you have been working in the Programmer, the last file you saved with memory channel details will open. To prevent loss of the information you entered in this file,  do File ∣ New Before proceeding to the next step. This will create a new FTM500 file for you can work in.

Select Communications ∣ Read Data from SD card from the menu at the top

The YPS-M500 programmer finds the SD card automatically once the files are written to it by the radio..as long as the card is recognized properly by the computer.

It may appear that nothing happens. The main screen does not change since there may be no memory channels programmed in the radio; but, the Programmer has retrieved the information it needs to identify your radio

You have completed this part of the process and are ready to set up a file for your radio with memory channels, VFOs, Limit memories and customized menu settings.

You will need to repeat this part of the process ONLY if you make changes on your radio that you want to save to the computer or if you modify your radio to transmit outside the ham band.

Enter your callsign.

Select Settings | Radio Menu Settings from the top of the screen.

On the settings screen, enter your callsign in the Callsign field. If it is already there, complete the steps here to save it in the programmer.

Make other changes you want to the settings. You can always return to this process later when you learn more about these options.

There are two possible ways that you will save this part of the programmer. But save you must.

In the Mac, click OK. In the Windows version, on this screen, click Close / Apply changes and close. Do not in either version click the Red X in the corner to close. That tells the system (Mac or Windows) to close without saving.

If Close is not available in the Windows program, there will be a File menu on this screen. Click File | Save As (on the Settings screen)

Enter Settings as the Filename and click Save.

The Programmer will return to the Settings screen.

Click File | Exit to close the Settings screen.

Customize your file with details you want in your radio. Enter memory channels details including frequencies, names, tones, etc in the spread sheets.

As you build your file for the FTM-500 radio, you will want to save it as you work.

Click File ∣ Save As to save the file for use on the computer.

This is NOT the file that you will use to program the radio.

Now for the exciting part!! Let's make this file ready for the radio and get that radio on the air!! .

Click Communications ∣ Write Data to SD Card to "translate" the file for use by the radio. The radio cannot use a file created with File | Save: even if you put it on the SD card with the right name.

This process will create the file that you will use to program the radio. The YPS-M500 programmer finds the SD card AUTOMATICALLY and writes the file for it...as long as the card is recognized properly by the computer.

A window will appear to let you know the process is finished. This process takes only a matter of seconds.

Remove the SD card from the computer.

Put it into the radio as shown in the first step.

You're almost there. You only need to transfer the data from the SD card to the radio.

Think about it.. this is very similar to the process you used on other radios.. You did Get data from Radio.. then created the file with the information you wanted programmed in the radio.. Saved the File.. Did Send data to radio to program those details into the radio. You're just not using a cable this time and the process is a little more disconnected.

The process for using the SD card to program this radio is a little different because the transfer is not direct through a cable.. but it still beats pressing all those buttons to program the memory channels and other options!! AND... it's lots easier than moving the computer to the radio or the radio to the computer once the radio is mounted in a vehicle.

With the radio on, press hold for 1 second the [KNOB] at the upper right of the face of the radio to access the menu.

Hold the knob long enough to access the full menu. A short press will access the Quick Menu. The option you seek for programming is not found there.

• Rotate the [KNOB] to Menu Item 107 BACKUP.
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select BACKUP.

Turn the [KNOB] to highlight READ FROM SD as shown, press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select.

This option cannot be selected by touching it on the screen of the radio. You must use the [KNOB].

You are in control. No fear of losing information. 

There are several more questions to answer yet.

The ALL option will be highlighted on the SD Card / Read From SD menu.

Press the [KNOB] to select this option. 
This selection cannot be made via the touchscreen.

An All screen appears. Cancel will be highlighted.

Turn the [KNOB] to "OK" or touch the "OK" on the screen to select. Press the [KNOB] or touch the "OK" again to begin the transfer. Either will work. 

The memory channels and settings you set up in the programmer will be transferred from the SD card to the radio.

Loading is displayed on the screen during the transfer.

The process can take what seems to be a long time to complete. Be patient, if no other message appears, the process is going properly.

Do NOT turn off the radio during the process. Again, be patient and give the radio the time it needs.

If the Loading message does not appear, you did not engage the process properly.

COMPLETED appears when the radio finishes writing the data to the card.

The FTM-500 will cycle off and back on when the process is complete. Watch as it powers on with your callsign proudly displayed on the start up screen.

The radio may be in VFO when the process completed. This is very normal.

Press the V/M key to cycle the top of the display to memory mode. This is a short press.

If you want both the top and bottom of the display in memory mode, use the [up and down arrow] key on top of the radio to call the bottom details to the top, then press V/M to change to memory mode. Press [up and down arrow] key on top of the radio to toggle everything back to where you expect it to be.